Burbank Miracle Man Ulises Ochoa
T-Minus-41 Days until “The Mid Valley Classic”
Good Morning!
Note from One Local Coach to His Team: “MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN 6TH PERIOD FOOTBALL!!!”
The things these guys have to think about.
M-Town Miracle Man Nick Bueno
In a conversation with my daughter the other night I was somewhere between Bible and Football in thought when she asked how I thought Temple City was going to do this season. Instead of saying the standard; “They lack PLAYMAKERS”… I said; “They need a Miracle Man”… Max Ruckle was a Miracle Man the last two years, but he’s off to Arizona to start school and begin his life.
I don’t know if a “Miracle Man” is a stats man. Must admit, I am thinking in terms of offense right now, but a Miracle Man is the guy on the other team you don’t want to have the ball with game on the line…On your team, he is the guy. A Miracle Man is a name, a play, a moment… He creates the feeling of; ‘come let us worship and bow down…’ after his moment has come…but it doesn’t mean he’s the best player around.
Remember, Moses wasn’t perfect… He was a Miracle Man.
(No particular order)
Miracle Man: Burbank tailback Ulises Ochoa… Case Point: Punt return against Pasadena last season K-POW! Game breaker… I’m sure when Burroughs HC Keith Knoop wakes up from a bad dream, Ochoa has played some part in it.
Miracle Man: San Dimas ‘Mr. Versatile’ Dillon Corona… Case Point: Oh yeah, he runs the ball real well…but it was his boot during the Noahesque flood in the CIF Finals that had as much to do with the Saints 10-7 victory over Monrovia as anything. The punt that pinned the Wildcats deep at the end of the game set up Justin Winrow’s heroics…Plus the field goal through the driving rain that put SD on top in th first half.
Miracle Man: Arroyo quarterback Steven Rivera… Case Point: Ask Temple City, Anthony White, Brandon Cox… Running to his right, Justin Sutton zeroing in, last chance, last play…and it comes down into Chris Rodriguez’s hands like manna from Heaven.
Miracle Man: Monrovia quarterback Nick Bueno... Case Point; True, look at the body of work, Including two semifinals, and one finals appearance…As a sophomore against Rosemead in the semifinals, he kept his out manned team in the hunt with one play after another. This guy is the redeemer of bad snaps, and the destroyer of opponents hopes.
Miracle Man: Arcadia wide receiver Taylor Lagace… Case Point; Homerun hitter. Flat out homerun hitter, who catches everything…plays defense…returns kicks… Some have made comparisons to Tommy Cogburn…He’ll blur by you like Tommy C., but he’s bigger and (I know heresy to some) more athletic.
Pasadena Miracle Man Aaron Simpson
Miracle Man: Pasadena “Mr. Versatile” Aaron Simpson... Case Point: Talk to Hector Valencia, Burbank, and everyone who saw what he did in the final moments of PHS’ 45-41 victory over Bank. He doesn’t have Lagace like numbers, but I believe…I believe.
(I’ll stop there, but those were the first six that came to mind as I drove down Santa Anita on Wednesday night… Again, not saying they are the best six…just Miracle Men, who if you harden your heart against you do so at great peril. Feel free to add…I’m open to nominations, this canon is hardly closed.)
Based on the ‘power rankings’ post…Is this the reason I haven’t been able to track Bell Gardens? Is the Lancer program trying to stay on the down-low to surprise some folks?
The Almont coaches are talking about BG, and part of the reason they are talking is: They have a big, strong, smart (4.0) quarterback in Josh Adame and a talented running back in Steve Ibarra.
However it doesn’t stop there, Scott Williams was all league as a tight end a year ago. He has good size and plays linebacker as well. Another all leaguer, Albert Lara, some say, is one of the best kept secrets in the secondary..plus he’s only a junior… And Chris Rincon, all league, leads the fellas in the trenches. These bad dudes include some excellent ‘Almont size’ in; David Rosales (6’2” 274) and Martin Carillo (6’ 270).
Yes, people are thinking Schurr, others are excited about San Gabriel, and the Bell Gardens faithful are attempting to stay out of the discussion, but the cover has been blown. These are three solid teams vying for two guaranteed playoff spots.
“It’s a tough Mexican League,” as Alhambra’s Gil Ruedaflores used to say.
Okay, so I’m not Roger Goodell…But I never thought my JV spring football concept would take such a beating in the polls.
Getting slapped down this hard is helpful, now I have a better idea of what it’s like to be a UCLA fan…Or Villathedevil when he uses words like; “cerebral”.
San Dimas Miracle Man Dillon Corona
This is a couple of days late…I mentioned it on the show…but Jack Tatum’s hit as I remembered seeing it on Darryl Stingley was not a dirty hit… Now if you want to indict Tatum, who passed away this week at the age of 61, for what he did to Minnesota’s Sammie White in Super Bowl XI you might have a case…Then you might also have a case for what George Atkinson did to Lynn Swann…You might have a case for what Joe “Turkey” Jones did to Terry Bradshaw… and for almost everything Andre Waters and Chuck Cecil did the in the 80’s and 90’s.
Like Tecumseh Sherman said; “War is hell…You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it…”
Now football is not war, but it as close to it as we get to war while still referencing it as a game…While I love it, football is dangerous. It should be respected and only played by those who are very serious about it.
Because when the serious runs into the non-serious on the football field the result is usually a stretcher.
“Football Rush Week” is coming…August 23-27.
Stay thirsty my friends…
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